Start

In Start Your Own Transportation Service, the Staff of Entrepreneur Media explains how you can launch a profitable transportation service, whether you want to start a long-haul operation or an in-town service. In this edited excerpt, the authors briefly discuss 12 ways you can get started in the transportation industry.

The following represent many of the possible types of transportation businesses you could decide to start. It all depends on what your personal interest is and what skills you want to employ in your business.

1. Taxi service

Despite its initial controversy and claims of unfair competition, Uber has staked its claim across the world — in fact, in 400 cities and 65 countries. Uber’s attraction as a small-business opportunity is that you’re an independent contractor and on your own schedule. To sign up as a driver, start by going to Uber’s website,

If your battery has died, you may be able to use jumper cables to jump start it from some good Samaritan’s vehicle. If you can safely use jumper cables on your vehicle, make sure that the battery on the good Samaritan’s vehicle has at least as much voltage as your own. As long as you hook up the cables properly, it doesn’t matter whether your vehicle has negative ground and the GS’s vehicle has positive ground, or your vehicle has an alternator and the GS’s vehicle has a generator.